Feb 02 Could Bill Belichick’s grasp of economics be the key to the Patriots’ success? By Paul Solman The summer after the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl, I visited their training camp for a PBS NewsHour story on their — and the NFL’s — success, from the point of view of economics. Continue reading
Feb 01 Watch 8:34 Can finance cure cancer? By Paul Solman How do you drive investors to spend money on cutting-edge cancer treatments? One idea, according to economist Andrew Lo, is to sell securities in a megafund of research projects. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores how financial engineering could be the… Continue watching
Feb 01 How income inequality can make or break presidential elections By James K. Galbraith The relationship between political sentiment and measured economic inequalities is so important to understand, even though at first glance it's counter-intuitive. Continue reading
Jan 31 Will my Social Security benefit increase if my startup business takes off? By Philip Moeller If you can afford to suspend your benefits and forego this income, they could be substantially higher by the time you turn 70. Continue reading
Jan 26 Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s weak-dollar myopia is dangerous By Benjamin J. Cohen for The Conversation U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin endorsed the weakening of the dollar as “good” for the United States this week, breaking with long-standing tradition. Continue reading
Jan 25 Watch 9:05 New Mexico invests in young entrepreneurs to kickstart its sluggish economy By Paul Solman While much of the U.S. economy is on the rebound, New Mexico remains in the dumps since the recession hit a decade ago. Part of the problem may be a statewide brain drain: educated young people taking their careers --… Continue watching
Jan 24 Working full-time and ready to take Social Security? Here are the basics. By Philip Moeller A reader asks: If I opt to start taking the Social Security now, rather than delaying and getting 8 percent annual increases until I'm 70, do I have to sign up for and start paying for Medicare, too?… Continue reading
Jan 22 AI and robots are displacing science and tech workers. The question is: How quickly? By David Deming The growth of high-paying science, technology, engineering and math jobs has declined slightly in recent years due to automation. Continue reading
Jan 19 Do work requirements help lift people out of poverty? By Ann Huff Stevens Calls to increase work requirements among those receiving government assistance should recognize that most poor adults are already working, looking for work, or are disabled or ill. Continue reading
Jan 18 Watch 10:00 Trump takes credit for the good economy. Here’s what economists say By Paul Solman Unemployment is down, the GDP is growing at over 3 percent, the stock market hits record highs nearly every day and President Trump says it's a function of his policies. Does he deserve the credit? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports. Continue watching